This week my collection for Snap are the rows I see in nature. I like straight lines.
Row Upon Row
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
SNAP - Row Upon Row
Linking in with Helena at: SNAP
This week my collection for Snap are the rows I see in nature. I like straight lines.
Row Upon Row
This week my collection for Snap are the rows I see in nature. I like straight lines.
Row Upon Row
Monday, June 27, 2016
Memorandum Monday - June 27th
A gracious good morning to all. Linking in with our hostess Sian
What is new from the patio? Well not a lot. Friday we experienced major internet outages by all three of the biggest providers - what to blame? Heat, humidity & the technology in-explainable Ethernet. This happened right in the middle of a podcast with our bank financial manger explaining to his clients the effects financially from BRExit on Canadian markets. The technology is all good for now.
Most of the weekend saw us at home tending to lots of little odd jobs in the garden. Although on Saturday morning we needed to run a quick errand in town & on our way home, we stopped at our favourite local cat rescue, they were having a fund raiser yard sale. I wanted to donate money, I did not need nor want anything, but in the end I was "given" a framed print. It is rather pleasant, but I think it will hang in the clinic & not at home.
We had the tree trimmers in to do some work on three of our trees; both ashes & one silver maple. It took them most of the day & they did cut out a lot of deadwood on both ash trees & removed a large awkward growing branch on the silver maple.
Our weather continues to be extremely dry & the local corn crops are doing what they call "pineappling" which means the leaves fold in on themselves to preserve moisture, making them look like the tops of pineapples - not a good sign at this growth stage.
My last photo reminds me of the week unfolding; Monday is blossoming & the rest of the week has so many beautiful days (buds) just waiting to unfold & bloom. Yes that is my wish for everyone this week - a blooming good time. On Friday, July 1st we celebrate Canada Day.
What is new from the patio? Well not a lot. Friday we experienced major internet outages by all three of the biggest providers - what to blame? Heat, humidity & the technology in-explainable Ethernet. This happened right in the middle of a podcast with our bank financial manger explaining to his clients the effects financially from BRExit on Canadian markets. The technology is all good for now.
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| My Thoughts of The Ethernet |
Most of the weekend saw us at home tending to lots of little odd jobs in the garden. Although on Saturday morning we needed to run a quick errand in town & on our way home, we stopped at our favourite local cat rescue, they were having a fund raiser yard sale. I wanted to donate money, I did not need nor want anything, but in the end I was "given" a framed print. It is rather pleasant, but I think it will hang in the clinic & not at home.
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| The artist is Dawna Barton |
We had the tree trimmers in to do some work on three of our trees; both ashes & one silver maple. It took them most of the day & they did cut out a lot of deadwood on both ash trees & removed a large awkward growing branch on the silver maple.
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| Silver Maple Tree - major branch cut off |
Our weather continues to be extremely dry & the local corn crops are doing what they call "pineappling" which means the leaves fold in on themselves to preserve moisture, making them look like the tops of pineapples - not a good sign at this growth stage.
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| corn leaves "pineappling" |
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| Clematis - Nellie Moses |
Friday, June 24, 2016
One Photo, 6 Words: Heart - June 24th
Please join the short story tellers at : Miriams
This week's word is Heart.
This week's word is Heart.
Summer Skies and my Heart Soars
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
SNAP - A Greek Rainbow
To join in with the other snappy folks, please join us here at Helena's SNAP
This week my SNAP is some of my living, blooming rainbow - iris. Such grand warriors of the perennial garden. Other than one clump, they all bloomed this year & gave me a couple weeks of colour & joy.
This week my SNAP is some of my living, blooming rainbow - iris. Such grand warriors of the perennial garden. Other than one clump, they all bloomed this year & gave me a couple weeks of colour & joy.
Monday, June 20, 2016
Memorandum Monday - June 20th
Welcome to Summer, which arrives in this region at 6:34pm tonight & I shall be in the garden to greet Her.
Slayer of the winter, art thou here again? O welcome, thou that bring'st the summer night. The bitter wind makes not thay victory vain, nor will we mock thee for thy faint blue sky. Willaim Morris.
Good Monday morning to you all. To have a visit with the other Monday Memo writers & Sian, our hostess, you can link in here: From High In The Sky
What is new from the patio? Well we are experiencing quite the dry spell in this region, so new this season was we had to water the gardens. Rules are quite strict, even / odd days according to whether your house number is even /odd; am & pm between 6 & 9 as long as we remain in Level 0 or Level 1, if we move to Level 2 & higher, then watering lawns & gardens is curtailed. Let's hope for rain that comes about after this high heat & humidity; Sunday was 31(c) with a humidex of 40 (c). To water my flower pots I use the water from the dehumidifier - it is free water.
What else is new? We were up very early on Friday to get in to Toronto for another of Mr Man's eye injections & this time they also did a scan. The scans show that the shots are not making an improvement difference, so surgery has been scheduled for September. He will have to continue with an injection in July & again in August. The surgery delay is because of the need for a specific drug used in surgery that is currently not available in Canada & they do not start production of this drug until end of June & then it takes 2 months of quality testing before it can be sent to the hospitals again.
I am currently reading two new to me books: The Widow by Carla Neggers & Summer House by Nancy Thayer. Both are what most would call (very) light summer reading. I must admit I am anxious to start my annual blitz reading of the Harry Potter series (again).
New is the community outrage & rallying to aid a local farmer who had 4 young adults drive through his soy & corn fields with their ATVs & dirt bikes. Thankfully the guilty parties were known & caught. But they did quite a bit of damage to some of Farmer Tim's fields before they were stopped. I hope that there is accountability & consequences for these 4. (ATV = all terrain vehicles)
I was tidying up & found an old bubble making bottle & wand so I decided rather than throw it out, I would take the time to just be & blow bubbles. I had quite a few giggles at this, my new method of stress releasing. I will be off to the dollar stores on Monday to buy more bubble makers, I have a lot of pent up stress!
Like a welcome summer rain, humour may suddenly cleanse & cool the earth, the air & you. Langston Hughes
Happy week to all & may we all enjoy more laughter.
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| Single Peonies |
Slayer of the winter, art thou here again? O welcome, thou that bring'st the summer night. The bitter wind makes not thay victory vain, nor will we mock thee for thy faint blue sky. Willaim Morris.
Good Monday morning to you all. To have a visit with the other Monday Memo writers & Sian, our hostess, you can link in here: From High In The Sky
What is new from the patio? Well we are experiencing quite the dry spell in this region, so new this season was we had to water the gardens. Rules are quite strict, even / odd days according to whether your house number is even /odd; am & pm between 6 & 9 as long as we remain in Level 0 or Level 1, if we move to Level 2 & higher, then watering lawns & gardens is curtailed. Let's hope for rain that comes about after this high heat & humidity; Sunday was 31(c) with a humidex of 40 (c). To water my flower pots I use the water from the dehumidifier - it is free water.
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| early morning watering the gardens |
What else is new? We were up very early on Friday to get in to Toronto for another of Mr Man's eye injections & this time they also did a scan. The scans show that the shots are not making an improvement difference, so surgery has been scheduled for September. He will have to continue with an injection in July & again in August. The surgery delay is because of the need for a specific drug used in surgery that is currently not available in Canada & they do not start production of this drug until end of June & then it takes 2 months of quality testing before it can be sent to the hospitals again.
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| early sunrise view from Hwy 401 |
I am currently reading two new to me books: The Widow by Carla Neggers & Summer House by Nancy Thayer. Both are what most would call (very) light summer reading. I must admit I am anxious to start my annual blitz reading of the Harry Potter series (again).
New is the community outrage & rallying to aid a local farmer who had 4 young adults drive through his soy & corn fields with their ATVs & dirt bikes. Thankfully the guilty parties were known & caught. But they did quite a bit of damage to some of Farmer Tim's fields before they were stopped. I hope that there is accountability & consequences for these 4. (ATV = all terrain vehicles)
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| Farmer Tim's soy field with ATV tracks (Farmer Tim photo) |
I was tidying up & found an old bubble making bottle & wand so I decided rather than throw it out, I would take the time to just be & blow bubbles. I had quite a few giggles at this, my new method of stress releasing. I will be off to the dollar stores on Monday to buy more bubble makers, I have a lot of pent up stress!
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| A bubble floating on the air |
Like a welcome summer rain, humour may suddenly cleanse & cool the earth, the air & you. Langston Hughes
Happy week to all & may we all enjoy more laughter.
Friday, June 17, 2016
One Photo, 6 Words: Happy - June 17
Linking in with the Short Story Tellers at: Miriam Please join in and/or have a look see what others have come up with for the Friday Word.
This week's word is: Happy
This week's word is: Happy
Let the world see the Happy
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
SNAP - Potted
To join in with Helena's Snap or to see what others have snapped this week, please visit here: SNAP
This week my SNAP collection are local corporate flower pots outside of the main street's businesses. There have been a number of complaints recently by the local businesses that someone is stealing plants from the planter or totally destroying. So far this season there seems to be fewer local shops with outside floral displays. I think it is sad. But here's a few of the folks that are:
Thanks for cheering up the streets of our little village.
This week my SNAP collection are local corporate flower pots outside of the main street's businesses. There have been a number of complaints recently by the local businesses that someone is stealing plants from the planter or totally destroying. So far this season there seems to be fewer local shops with outside floral displays. I think it is sad. But here's a few of the folks that are:
The Lawyer's Office
The Real Estate Office
The Bakery
Sacred Heart (RC) Church
Thanks for cheering up the streets of our little village.
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Following A Tree - June 14th Update
I have chosen to follow a particular Maple Tree for the year to watch & observe the changes the tree & surrounding area under go through the year.
How quickly this tree leafed out, one day just a little bit of green fuzz & what seemed overnight, bang on full leaf coverage.
I had a visit with my tree today.
Walking around the tree, observing all sides, I noticed today (June 14th) that there is a (nasty) vine growing up the inside of the trunk. I could not see this vine's stock starting on the ground. The vine, Virginia Creeper, is a type of vine that will take over the tree's canopy & block the sunlight from reaching the tree's leaves. It appears to be growing from a old branch wound too far up for me to reach.
There is also another type of tree growing from another of the Maple Tree's wound pockets. I imagine that over the years dirt has built up in the hole. I think this tree within the tree is a Locust tree. There are some Locust growing near by. There are no bird or squirrel nests that I can see, but maybe a bird or squirrel "planted" the seed & nature took over.
I have now named "my" tree - Old Mother Tree, as she seems to be harbouring the growth of others.
How quickly this tree leafed out, one day just a little bit of green fuzz & what seemed overnight, bang on full leaf coverage.
I had a visit with my tree today.
Walking around the tree, observing all sides, I noticed today (June 14th) that there is a (nasty) vine growing up the inside of the trunk. I could not see this vine's stock starting on the ground. The vine, Virginia Creeper, is a type of vine that will take over the tree's canopy & block the sunlight from reaching the tree's leaves. It appears to be growing from a old branch wound too far up for me to reach.
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| Virginia Creeper growing on the inside of the trunk |
There is also another type of tree growing from another of the Maple Tree's wound pockets. I imagine that over the years dirt has built up in the hole. I think this tree within the tree is a Locust tree. There are some Locust growing near by. There are no bird or squirrel nests that I can see, but maybe a bird or squirrel "planted" the seed & nature took over.
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| Possible Locust Tree growing in old wound pocket |
I have now named "my" tree - Old Mother Tree, as she seems to be harbouring the growth of others.
Monday, June 13, 2016
Memorandum Monday - June 13th
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| Weigela starting to bloom |
Linking in with Sian & the other Monday greeters & wavers at: From High In The Sky
What's new from the patio this week?
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| Early Sunday Morning View - the lawn clover in bloom |
Things are returning to a "normal" staffing state at work, which is good. I am still feeling the affects of working 2 weeks of some very long days. I really did learn something more about myself & my coping or lack of coping with stress. I have always known that from my chaotic beginnings, order is extremely important & vital for me. But wow, under stress I really clung to order (OCD levels) & perfectionism in myself. Thankfully the patients & the clinic therapists do not see that internal conflict. So the new element of this is that I am taking some steps to develop skills of reducing self inflicted stress behaviour.
Now having said all that positive stuff about growth & self development - I am really annoyed that my boss never said thank you. A paycheque is not a thank you.
New in the garden; iris, poppies & peonies are all in abundant bloom along with the completed arbour. Mr Man worked on this while I was at work. There were no further injuries suffered. (note to self - why in the photo does the arbour look crooked?)
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| White Peonies Basking In Morning Light |
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| Completed Arbour |
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| Magenta Peonies In Sunday Morning Light |
New feelings about chipmunks. Karen did warn me about the potential of them being a nuisance.
As it was all about work the last 2 weeks & weekend I have not got a lot more to report on. I hope everyone has a wonderful week ahead.
It's Monday, Don't Forget to Be Awesome
Friday, June 10, 2016
One Photo, 6 Words: Word - June 10th
Linking in with short story tellers at: Miriam
This week the word is Word:
This week the word is Word:
The word is you bring gifts
Wednesday, June 08, 2016
SNAP - 4 Sides To A Story
Linking in with Helena at: SNAP
Helena's idea is that you share a set of between 2 and 4 images that have a visual link such as colour or shape or subject or that form a photo essay (or anything else you care to share as a visual set)
This week's SNAP is from one of our Ports of Call jaunts - Port Colborne. This 4 sided signage explains the locks system of the Welland Canal; the boats that could be seen; where the Welland Canal system is located & the flag language. Further info for the Welland Canal can be found here: Welland Canal
Just to give a further perspective of this cube, I am adding the overview photo ...
Helena's idea is that you share a set of between 2 and 4 images that have a visual link such as colour or shape or subject or that form a photo essay (or anything else you care to share as a visual set)
This week's SNAP is from one of our Ports of Call jaunts - Port Colborne. This 4 sided signage explains the locks system of the Welland Canal; the boats that could be seen; where the Welland Canal system is located & the flag language. Further info for the Welland Canal can be found here: Welland Canal
Just to give a further perspective of this cube, I am adding the overview photo ...
Monday, June 06, 2016
Memorandum Monday - June 6th
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| Tree Peony - A record of 9 blossoms |
Good Morning & a wave to all those following Sian's Monday Memorandum: You can link in here to see what everyone has been up to: From High In The Sky
What's new for me? It was certainly an unusually busy week at work. If it does not rain it pours - one Front Desk staff had to cope with the last few days of her Father's sudden diagnosis of lung cancer & his subsequent passing. Our casual summer student had emergency appendix surgery & our part timer is taking another week in China, so that left only me. It looks like it will be the same this week with everyone needing time to mourn, recover & get a plane back home. Several days of 12 hours shifts are exhausting for me.
We are putting together a new arbour - it is not going well. How not well you ask? Let's just say, from experience, I stock boxes of bandaids in every size as if there is not some blood letting, then I am not sure it was Mr Man working on the project.
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| laying out all the pieces first |
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| The first side is up |
We are celebrating our wedding anniversary on Tuesday & because of the work situation for me, we have to postpone celebrating. Mr Man is not happy about this. I will say no more about that.
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| White Poppies |
Sorry for the rush but off I go to work. I hope everyone has a wonderful week & that calm prevails.
Sunday, June 05, 2016
June 5th; 5 in 5
Linking in with Sandie at : Itchifingers
The idea is on the 5th of the month you post 5 photos you have taken in 5 minutes.
My June five are a walk in the garden after the rain (most needed).
The idea is on the 5th of the month you post 5 photos you have taken in 5 minutes.
My June five are a walk in the garden after the rain (most needed).
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| Rain Gauge |
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| Bridal Spirea Blossoms Drizzle on The Bench |
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| Tree Peony Petals Now Drip |
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| Lady's Mantle Bejeweled in Droplets |
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| Million Bells Soaked In A Cascade of Rain |